Tag Archives: advice

Need Time To Yourself In A Busy House? Make A “Dad Cave!”

02/06/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

dad cave, man cave, fatherhood, personal time, rest, relaxation, parenting — Pexels – CC0 Licence

Sometimes when we spend quality time with our children we might think that we just need a little moment to ourselves. If we watch TV with our kids and it’s yet another episode of Teen Titans or something that we cannot comprehend we may need a little time to ourselves. When we don’t have a physical space in our home but now the opportunity is coming to renovate the junk room, setting up a “dad cave” might not be the most popular option in the household but if you’re setting up a room for everyone is there something you can do to get some sort of cave for your needs?

Mix Up The Styles

It could very well be the fact that this spare room has to become an office or somewhere for the kids to play away from the living room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate something that’s for you! There’s plenty of whiskey decor or colorful pictures that can provide a little bit of your own personality. By taking the opportunity to allocate a little area of this room that’s for you means that when you come to use that space all by yourself you can feel a little bit more comfortable.

Adding Some Creature Comforts

You can put things in there that will please everyone. Not everybody has the luxury of a spare room so there will be a lot of debate as to what will go in there. Crowd pleasers are the usual items of furniture like couches. But if there’s not enough room for a long couch you can set up an armchair and a footstool so you can take the opportunity to relax. You also need to think about lighting. Making the place nice and bright will help if you are doubling the space up as a home office. Installing a dimmer switch gives you the opportunity to create mood lighting so you can turn this space into whatever you want.

Renovating The Basement Or Garage

If you really feel like you need to have some sort of dad cave you might want to think about renovating the garage or the basement because they are not particularly popular rooms. You can make plenty of space in your garage by utilizing Slatwall Systems to get most of your items off the floor and neatly hanging up. A garage can be cold in the middle of winter and a basement might not be easily accessible. This gives you plenty of scope to make it a bit more to your style. Renovating these spaces can be a bit more expensive, especially if you want to install insulation, but with somewhere like the basement you’ve got more scope to put things in there that don’t suit the rest of the house. For example, if you wanted to put in a pool table or a space for your hundreds of video games, this is the perfect chance! But make sure that both spaces are safe first. It would be a good idea to check out some finished basement ideas so you can see what appeals to you and how you can incorporate that into your basement design.

Dad caves are few and far between, primarily because they end up being taken over by the rest of the family. Compromise is the name of the game but if you want to set up somewhere that feels like your space you can always try these options.

Life, Lifestyle

Career Change, Take The Leap

01/28/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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People spend the majority of their adult life working but not many seem happy with where they are in their career. Financial and family responsibilities get in the way and nowadays people decide to go for a career change later in life, perhaps when their children are a bit older, or simply because they have a better understanding of what they want to do. It’s more and more common to change your working field at least once in your life and age isn’t always an issue. People take on further education mid-life and continue to have better prospects in different areas. If you are considering a career change there are certain things you need to think about in order to feel comfortable going through with it. It can seem like a huge risk and it’s hard to face it head on. Here are some strategies to help you process the idea of a career change and finally have the courage to go for it.

Analyse your current job

Before you automatically give up on your current field take a moment to reflect. What areas of your current job do you like the best? What do you like about the working environment, the conditions, the hours and the dynamics? If you currently work in a team of people, would you like to continue to do so? Write a list of the daily tasks you complete and categorize them. Do you enjoy working with a computer, or being outdoors? What are the aspects of your job that you like? What skills have you learnt and how will these be transferable to your new career of choice?

Know your end game

You may not be in love with your current career choice and are seeking change but do you know what you want that change to be and what you are looking to get out of the career move. It’s not always as simple as ‘I would like to be a teacher’. Are you looking for more flexibility, for example? If you are then this needs to be the priority behind any move you make and you need to consider whether you are going to get it by switching careers. Or perhaps you want more responsibility? Can your new career path offer you that? Bear in mind these changes might not happen straight away but is there capacity there to ensure you get what you want from the move at some point?

Another reason you need to know your end game is so that you can identify what it takes to get there. Perhaps you dream of having your own personal injury practice, if this is the case to make it a reality you need to identify all the steps you need to take to make it happen. Do you have legal expertise? The capital? Or even the determination and work ethic to establish yourself and run a successful practice? Alternatively, perhaps you want to opt for something completely different and become one of the best elite nightclub dancers. If so, do you possess the dance skills, the physical fitness, and the charisma required? Do you have a plan to work with a reputable agency to get the right gigs, build your reputation, and navigate the competitive entertainment industry? Understanding what you need to achieve your goals, whatever route you choose, is essential to making your dreams a reality.

Research

Do all the research you possibly can in both the field you are interested in and how other people have managed the transition of a career change. This could involve reading self-help books or autobiographies and online advice from professional gurus or even celebrities. You can find examples online of experts and video tutorials. Ask the opinion of those closest to you as they should be able to put your ideas into perspective. Look into what the new job requires and definitely consider further education. Cross reference colleges with the field you are interested in, for example, this article lays out what you can expect and further training you will need in order to progress in the nursing profession.

Face your fear

It’s not easy to take the leap. Don’t always assume you need a total change of pace, as mentioned before it’s advisable to think about the aspects of your current job that you like and can take with you to your new job. Whereas it’s standard to often start at the bottom again unfortunately, try to picture the end result, after the initial transitional period you could be earning much more. Test your adaptability to change by trying to alter other aspects of your routine, you might find you’re better at it than you think!

Going Healthy, Health, Lifestyle

Finding An Alternative To Fad Diets

01/27/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

We’re used to living our lives at a million miles per hour, and we expect results quickly. This applies to everything from finding a product online and ordering a coffee to go to losing weight. The trouble with rapid weight loss is that it’s often unsustainable. While fad diets may seem like the solution if you’ve over-indulged over the festive season, there are alternatives that are much more likely to help you achieve your long-term goals.

Fad diets have become incredibly popular, and this is largely due to the fact that they promise swift results. Fad diets usually contribute to rapid weight loss, and this often involves restricting calorie intake, cutting out food groups and dropping pounds without having to exercise. On the surface, fad diets like the Keto and Paleo diets may seem like a great idea, but it’s wise to proceed with caution. Eliminating food groups can contribute to nutrient deficiencies and make you crave foods you enjoy, and drastically reducing calorie intake can leave you hungry and increase the risk of sudden weight gain once you come off the plan. Ninety-five percent of people who lose weight on fad diets regain those pounds within 5 years.

Rather than resorting to fed diets, which can impact your mood, your health and your bank balance, it’s a good idea to take the advice shared in this infographic on board. Aim for a nutritious, balanced diet, which champions fresh produce, whole grains and vitamin-laden fruit and vegetables. Plans like the Mediterranean diet are proven to help weight loss and improve health at the same time and they produce sustainable results. People who live in Mediterranean countries are less likely to develop life-threatening diseases.

Before you reach for a diet book or think about giving up all your favorite foods for good, why not take a closer look at the infographic below?